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That's the point of this adaptation. The older version (both are based on a book) was just about the creature and the humans team up to defeat it.

This later one is a master class in paranoia since no-one knows who is "it" and so they end up turning on themselves. The effects are pretty gory but the real horror for me was when they are all tied up by Mac on the bench and each one knows that the guy next to him could do the alien freakout at any time. The fact it absorbs you memories and personality means its almost (almost) undetectable.

The music, just that heavy bass, is perfectly ominous too. And the ending is suitable bleak. Should never be remade again.

That's the point of this adaptation. The older version (both are based on a book) was just about the creature and the humans team up to defeat it.

This later one is a master class in paranoia since no-one knows who is "it" and so they end up turning on themselves. The effects are pretty gory but the real horror for me was when they are all tied up by Mac on the bench and each one knows that the guy next to him could do the alien freakout at any time. The fact it absorbs you memories and personality means its almost (almost) undetectable.

The music, just that heavy bass, is perfectly ominous too. And the ending is suitable bleak. Should never be remade again.

Sounds like you are talking about the new version with Kurt Russell. If so, it's not bad, but compared to the original version, ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044121 ) it is not nearly as suspenseful, and has been modified almost out of recognition.

There have been three additional versions, 1982-2002-2010. None were as good as the first.

The Russel one isn't "modified" - they are both different adaptations of the book. Watch it again. It has heaps of suspense because of the paranoia.

Actually it has. In the original the military outpost finds a spaceship, thaws it from the icepack with disasterous results, finds a frozen alien, and accidentally thaws that.

In the latter (including the Russell version) the story has been edited even more and moved more into the "Possession by evil aliens with the ability to inhabit other bodies".

Nowhere near the original concept. I.E. Alien spacecraft accidentally crashes, corpse of one of the crew is taken to remote unarmed camp, revives and trys to propagate itself. In a way kind of a space vampire movie as blood is the food it needs and uses.

I've seen them all and the original is still the scariest. I hope the new one (2010) is better.

Money and power attract women, no matter the appearance of the man. I thought it was universal truth.

Women who don't have much besides their looks, can pick and choose and want some security. He's rarely displaying much money or power in these situations. He's one of a crowd of faintly personable schlubs in leather jackets. He's got just the right amount of money and power to get all the hookers and strippers. Not people who've already made successful lives for themselves. If he was even putting in some effort that would be an improvement (actually, the way the show plays it it's like Dave is suggesting women of Italian descent have some sort of mental illness in this regard. No matter how successful they get they still want a fat old Mafioso. Which might be interesting if in every case they were a bit more than disposable nuts for Tony to work out his emotional demons against. )

Originally Posted by Scots Taffer

Pine Barrens was probably the peak of the show's writing and still maintained a level of mafiosa influence over the soap-like character dynamics.

That was a hilarious episode. Them freezing half to death like idiots; whatsisname showing up in his hunting gear was hysterical. I loved the gradual reveal of who the Russian guy was. I want him to come back, dammit. But I caught the IMDB credits by mistake and that's the only episode he's in. Frustrating.

Carpenters version is no more a modification of the Nyby 1951 version than Batman Begins is a modification of the Tim Burton Batman from the 1989.

Both are based on a book by John W. Campbell (as Fafhrd says), and the Carpenter version is pretty close to the source material in that the creature "becomes" people and no one knows who has been taken over. Therefore the Carpenter version is closer to the original. I haven't seen the 1951 version, but reviews state that the '82 version is far better because of its closeness to the source material.

Muz, the one thing that was great about the Sicilian excursion (and a lot of the later seasons, actually) is Paulie. His commendatore scenes stick with me to this day, and although he becomes somewhat cartoonish fodder later on, his character slowly becoming unglued from being a tough guy to a grumpy old man was something I enjoyed.

Also the original 50s version of The Thing fucking sucked. I'm sorry, but there are 50s sci-fi movies that are good (in spite of 50s science) and there are ones that are reason enough for MST3K to never have been cancelled.

As a fan of the book and the Carpenter movie, the game was an awesome expansion on the story. The gameplay was a bit meh, but the story was mostly well written. The b/w version is a bit cheesy nowadays, and takes a helluva lot of liberty with the source material.

Just watched this animated short: The Cat Piano. Pretty cool, with lovely narration by Nick Cave. (Warning: don't watch if antropomorphic cats make you foam at the mouth and scream things about "Dem goddamn furries!")

Oh, wow, they're just broadcasting a rerun of The Sopranos over here and Pine Barrens was actually yesterday's episode. I never watched the show before, too.
And as for Carpenter's The Thing! One thing I never understood about it is, if it just wants to freeze until it's rediscovered, why doesn't it send... little thingies away from the outpost to be frozen? If it only had some common sense, humanity would be fucked.

Oh, wow, they're just broadcasting a rerun of The Sopranos over here and Pine Barrens was actually yesterday's episode. I never watched the show before, too.

Just as well you didn't tbh since the episode's real strength is the culmination of a few seasons worth of character development. Without that it'd still be an amusing, violent and somewhat random slice of gangster life though so no great loss...

Sometimes I think myself lucky that I missed a show the first time because I can get all the opinions from you wonderful people and pick only the good stuff. 6 Feet Under was one of the recs from here that I'm thoroughly enjoying. Its incredibly weird in that, well I don't quite get why I like it and when people ask me if its any good I can't explain why I think it is. Sopranos. On the list.

[...]
Both are based on a book by John W. Campbell (as Fafhrd says), and the Carpenter version is pretty close to the source material in that the creature "becomes" people and no one knows who has been taken over. Therefore the Carpenter version is closer to the original. I haven't seen the 1951 version, but reviews state that the '82 version is far better because of its closeness to the source material.

[...]

That I agree with. Nearly all "versions" are "tweaked" to fit the era and audience.

Few stick close to the original novel.

In this case you are correct the 82 version is the closest. But not the scariest or most intense. But then, as always, that's one man's (mine) opinion.